RCMP Staff Sgt. Rob Embree said police “looked into a number of instances of potential hate crimes” in connection with online conversations that happened after Boushie’s death. He said Monday that all those investigations have wrapped up and no charges have been laid.

Alvin Baptiste, Boushie’s uncle, said he wasn’t surprised.

“That’s how it is. It’s always been that way,” Baptiste said. “As First Nations people, we pretty well expect that to happen. We never get a fair shake at anything, even justice. It’s always a letdown all the time.”

Boushie, a resident of Red Pheasant First Nation, was 22 years old when he was fatally shot on Stanley’s farm in the Rural Municipality of Glenside on Aug. 9, 2016. In the days and weeks that followed, social media was flooded with racist comments, including from some people suggesting farmers — including Stanley — have the right to use deadly force to protect their property from Indigenous people.

“(Stanley’s) only mistake was leaving witnesses,” wrote one rural municipality councillor, who later resigned over the post.

Embree said police don’t share information about investigations unless charges are laid, but confirmed that the majority of potential hate crime cases the RCMP investigated in the last 17 months in relation to Boushie’s death were focused on online content.

“We’re not in a position to discuss the specifics, but we investigate them fully and when warranted in consultation with the Crown,” he said.

Some investigations started because of what RCMP officers saw when they were monitoring online discourse, while others began because citizens reported posts they believed to be hateful.

Embree said similar processes will be followed when Stanley’s trial begins Jan. 29.

“We’re committed to the safety and security of all people in Saskatchewan. We will keep an eye out for criminal activity of any kind and we do that in a number of ways: high-vis patrols, intelligence-led policing, monitoring the flow of information online and elsewhere,” Embree said.

“But it is important for the people to know that we also rely heavily on the people we serve to report potential crime activities to us, and we encourage them to do so.”

Under the Criminal Code, any adult found guilty of public incitement or wilful promotion of hatred can be sent to jail for to up to two years.

Embree said the RCMP is appealing to all residents of the province to “conduct themselves in a respectful and peaceful manner online and in person” as the legal process moves forward.

Jury selection for Stanley’s trial is scheduled to for Jan. 29 in the town of Battleford. The trial is expected to run Jan. 30 to Feb. 15 at Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench.